Rod for card-indexes.



No. 816,097. I PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

n E. HUNTER.

ROD FOR CARD mnsxss. nruonron rzn sn 00131. 190g,"

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DAVID EDGAR HUNTER, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To LIBRARYBUREAU, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Hop FOR. CARD-INDEXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 27, 1906.

To all. whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID EDGAR HUNTER, a citizen of theUnited States,and a resident of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, haveinventednew and useful Improvements in Rodsfor Card-Indexes, of which the following is a specifica tion. l i

The object of this invention is to provide an improved form ofcard-holding rods such as are very largely used in connection withcard-filing systems and in'particular this invention consists ofimprovements. upon an existing type of card-rod and associated de viceknown as'the screw-front rod. A type .of screw-front rod which is verywidely used is described in United States Letters Patent No. 470,884,granted to Herbert E. Davidson March 15, 1892. This particular type ofscrew-front rod has proved to be me-- chanically satisfactory providedthe thread-, ed securing devices which cooperate with the ,rod areattached to the drawer-front with shows in cross-section one form ofdrawerfixture adapted to cooperate with a card-rod either of theconstruction now manufactured or the improved construction shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 shows, part in elevation andpart in section, the relationof the card-rod and drawer-fixtures when the same are mutuallyl.engaged. Fig. 4 is a front'view of the drawerfixtures shown in Figs. 2and 3., Fig. 5 shows an elevation and end view of the interiorlythreaded bushing, whichis a feature of my invention. Figs. 6, 7, and 8show in crosssection and front elevation an alternative form of thedrawer-fixtures which constitute I a component part of this invention,and Figs.

9 and 10 show incross-section and front elevation another alternativeform of the same.

ed exteriorly to engage with the wood of draw slightly to one side orthe other.

Referring to the said Davidson patent, No. 470,884, it will be observedthat an essential portion of the drawer-fixture consists of 'a threadedbushing (marked C) which is thread- .which the drawer-front is com osedand interiorly to engage the screw-t 'eaded cardrod. This bushing isscrewed in flush with the drawer-front and'is'covered by anescutcheon-plate b, which is centrally perforated, so as to permit thepassage of the cardrod. It has been observed that unless care and skillare employed in the insertion of the threaded bushing of the Davidsonfixture the bushing is liable to be set at a slight angle, owing to thefact that it makes its own sufiicient to misdirect the card-rod when itis inserted and screwed into the bushing, a very small angle sufiicingto displace the inner end of the card-rod so far that it fails toregister with the holes in the cards or if sprung into alinement jams orbinds in the usual follower, such as marked E in the saidDavidsonpatent. Another difiiculty, to avoid which requires skill andcareful attention, is that in attaching the covering-escutcheon to thewood it is quite difficult to keep the hole in the escutcheon concentricwith the threaded hole .in the bushing, as the wood-screws employed toattach the escutcheon are very likely through inequalities in the wooditself to onsequently these escutcheons frequently have to be moved orreset, so as to bring the central hole concentric with the threadedbushving otherwise the card-rod will not enter the threads in thebushingproperly. All these things of course cause delay, andthereforeexpense, in attaching the hardware to the cabinet and sometimesresult'indefective. equipment. Moreover, the card-rods themselves three partsnamely, the rod proper, towhich bushing at one end, and the head orknob, which is screwed on over this threaded bushing. This bushingnecessarily has to be enough to receive properly the thread which is toengage with the interior thread of the larger bushing which is set intothe drawer. These several arts have to be secured to- .gether accurate yand permanently, and this again increases the cost of manufacture of thecard-roddevices.

The improvements which-are herein described and claimed obviate theabove diffir c'ulties and overcome the defects which while as heretoforemanufactured are composed of thread in the wood, and this slight angleis is shrunk or otherwise attached a threaded quite thin, indeed shouldhave only thickness ICO perhaps mechanically slight in themselvesnevertheless in the accumulative aggregate of many thousand instancesare of quite considerable importance.

In the drawings hereto annexed Fig 1 shows my improved card-rod. Thisconsists of a rod or wire A, which is upset at the part marked a, thisupsetting being effected by the aid of proper clamping-tools, whichpreserve the alinement of the two portions of the rod-line at eitherside of theupset portion a. This upset portion is now threaded and theshorter end of the rod forced into the headA. The upsettin processimproves the quality of the steel 0 which the rod A is composed, and thediametrical enlargement at the upset portion need only be enough tosecure material for the depth of the thread to be turned thereon. Thisobviates the necessity for bushings, which because thin are liable tosplit and all the imperfections and inconveniences which are incident tothe old threepart structure.

In Fig. 2, C is a bushing of hard wear-resisting material, preferablysteel, the inner or rear portion of which is counterbored at C and theouter part of which is screwthreaded, as at C In Fig. 8 the exterior ofthis bushing is more clearly shown, where, it will be observed, theexterior of the bushing is a smooth polygon tipped with a conicalsurface 0 and provided with a cylindrical neck 0. The polygonal body ofthis bushing is forced into the hole previously bored in thedrawerfront, the said hole being purposely made a little smaller indiameter than the extreme outside diameter of the bushing C. Theshoulder formed between the neck c and the polygonal body of thisbushing serves as a seat for the proper tool used to insert the bushingC in the drawer-front. This insertion is necessarily perfectly true andstraight provided the hole in the drawer-front has been bored straight.The smooth polygonal body drives readily yet holds firmly in the hole,andthe polygonal shape eflectively prevents the bushing from beingturned in the hole. By polygonal in this connection it should beunderstood any departure from a cylindrical form is meant to beincluded. For instance, a cylindrical form broken by fins or grooves orhaving other eccentric protuberances would serve the same purpose. Inorder to give the proper finish to the drawer-front, an escutcheon-plateB, which should either be composed of or faced with bronze or some othernon-corrodible metal, is secured to the drawer-front by means ofscrews 1) I) over the protruding neck of the bushing C. An aperture B ismade in the escutcheon-plate of proper size to fit accurately over thecylindrical neck 0 of the bushing 0. The hole B is fitted upon the neck0 before the screws 1) are inserted, and thus the permanent concentricalinement of the hole in the escutcheon-plate and the threaded hole inthe bushing C is assured. The bushing C being counterbored at C, thelength of the interiorly-screw-threaded portion of the bushing ismaterially reduced as compared with the bushing of the Patent N 0.470,884. When, as in that patent, the bushing is interiorlyscrew-threaded through its entire length, it is impracticable for a tapto cut a thread of complete depth, whereas with the shortened threadedportion, which forms a peculiarity of my improved bushing, the threadcan be cut to full depth with an ordinary tap. When the rod A is screwedinto the bushing 0, its head A screws up close to the face of theescutcheon-plate B, and as the head A is usually constructed of bronzeor brass the total exposed portions of the hardware composing thedrawer-fixtures is of non-corrodible and ornamental metal.

In Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, modifications of my invention areillustrated. Fig. 6 shows the bushing as a plate D, with a hollow boss Cstruck up from the plate itself, whichshould be of steel or otherwear-resisting metal, so that the threads cut in the boss C of thebushing-plate D and shown in Fig. 7 will stand the wear and tear ofordinary use. Over the bushing-plate D there is placed a facing B, whichis made of bronze or similar material, thus giving the exposed portionsof the hardware an ornamental appearance and preserving it fromcorrosion. The two portions B D are firmly secured together by eyelets Din such manner that the central opening B in the facing B is concentricwith the threaded portion of the bushing-plate D. In Fig. 9 the bushingis shown at C, being in this instance a cylindrical counterbored steelpiece with a constricted neck 0. This neck is first inserted through ahole B in the escutcheon-plate B, where it is riveted or upset, the lipof the hole B being suitably countersunk for this purpose. Figs. 8 and10 show the face views of the devices of Figs. 7 and 9, respectively.

By the devices above described in detail the bushing and escutcheon arepositively united, so that displacement of the one with relation to theother is impossible and concentric alinement of the aperture in theescutcheon with the aperture in the bushing is at all times preserved,thus insuring the free and accurate insertion of the card-rod, as shownin Fig. 3.

What I claim is 1. A fixture for card drawers or trays, consisting of athreaded card-rod, an interiorlythreaded bushing for the rod, saidbushing having a polygonal exterior to drive into the drawer or trayfront, and a counterbored intri rior, to reduce the threaded portionthere- 0 2. A drawer-fixture for threaded card-rods, consisting of aninteriorly-threaded bushing drieal'neck, the body to secure the bushingagainst turning in the drawer-front and the neck to center anescutcheon-plate, and the escutcheon-plate, provided With an aperture tofit the neck of the bushing and with means to secure it to thedrawer-front.

3. A drawer-fixture for threaded card-rods, consisting of aninteriorly-threaded bushing having a smooth polygonal body and acylindrical neck, and a counterbored interior to reduce the length ofthe threaded portion thereof, the polygonal body to hold the bushingcylindrical neck to serve as a seat for an esagainst turning in thedrawer-front, and the T 5 cutcheon-plate, and the escutcheon plate,provided vwith an aperture to fit the cylindrical bushing-neck and withmeans to secure it to the drawer-front.

Signed'by me at Boston; Massachusetts, 20 this 27th day of October,1904.

' DAVID EDGAR HUNTER.

